Of the Gickisses, or Blind Beggars.Of the Gickisses, or Blind Beggars.
Of the Gickisses, or Blind Beggars.
HE xithchapter is of theGickisses, or Blind Beggars. Mark: there are three kinds of blind men who wander about. Some are calledBLOCHARTS,id est, blind men—made blind by the power of God,—they go on a pilgrimage, and when they come into a town they hide their round hats, and say to the people they have been stolen from them, or lost at the places where they had sheltered themselves, and one of them often collects ten or xx caps, and then sells them. Some are called blind who have lost their sight by evil-doings and wickednesses. They wander about in the country and carry with them pictures of devils, and repairPg 29to the churches, and pretend they had been at Rome, to Saint James, and other distant places, and speak of great signs and wonders that had taken place, but it is all lies and deception. Some of the blind men are calledBROKEN WANDERERS(Bruch Umbgeen). These are such as have been blinded ten years or more; they take cotton, and make the cotton bloody, and then with a kerchief tie this over their eyes, and say that they have been mercers or pedlers, and were blinded by wicked men in a forest, that they were tied fast to a tree and so remained three or four days, and, but for a merciful passer-by, they would have miserably perished;—and this is calledBROKEN WANDERING.
Conclusio: Know them well before thou givest to them; my advice is only give to those thou knowest.